A common medical situation is that of a ruptured spinal disc. Material that exits the disc may press against the spinal cord, causing severe pain. A ruptured disc is typically treated by a surgical procedure, in which the damaged disc is partially or completely removed, and spinal fusion, in which at least the two vertebrae adjacent the removed disc are fused.
Disk removal may be performed percutaneously, for example via a tube through which tissue removal devices and/or an endoscope are provided.
Several approaches exist for spinal fusion. In one approach, the two vertebrae are connected using a plate and/or screws. In another approach, a spacer (also called a “cage device”) is inserted between the two vertebrae, so that bone growth into the space will fuse the adjacent vertebra. Typically, the axis of the spacer is perpendicular to the axis of the spine and to the plane of the body. Sometimes the spacer includes a plurality of holes, to encourage bone growth into the spacer. PCT publication WO 98/38918, the disclosure of which is incorporated herein by reference, describes a spacer that is inserted in a collapsed condition and expanded to fill the inter-vertebral space. Another type of spacer, exemplified by U.S. Pat. 5,123,926 (and others) to Pisharodi, the disclosure of which is incorporated herein by reference, functions like a concrete anchoring screw, in that a portion of the spacer, usually a center portion-thereof, expands by a relatively small amount to engage the adjacent vertebrae.
U.S. Pat. 5,800,549, the disclosure of which is incorporated herein by reference, describes a flexible disc replacement that is inserted using a syringe. However, this replacement does not fuse adjacent vertebrae, rather, it is designed to replace the form and function of a removed inter-vertebral disc.
One disadvantage of some of known fusion devices is that a relatively large entry hole in the body is required to insert the device. In some, a regular-sized surgical incision is required. In others, a minimally invasive laproscope-size hole is required, which is still quite large. Often, the spinal processes and/or other spinal structures are damaged by the insertion of the fusion device.
Another disadvantage of some known fusion devices is lies in a relative complexity of procedures for delivering the devices.
Another disadvantage of some known fusion devices is a requirement to trade/off the invasiveness of the procedure (e.g., do the spinal processes need to be cut or the abdomen opened) and the surface contact area between the fusion device and the bone. Generally, if the contact surface is small, the fusion device embeds itself in the bone and the spine slowly shrinks.